Tour Divide 2012 – The Gear List

I’ve finally assembled all the gear for this year’s attempt at the Tour Divide race. It is a source of endless discussion as to exactly how much you take on the ride. Kurt Refsnider, who won in 2011, has what I think is the singularly best view on what take. He tries to “strike a respectable balance between ultra light and well prepared.”

I err on the side of more prepared than ultralight. Yes, it means I have to move a heavier bike, but I know from experience that I don’t do well when I get too cold and wet. So, for example, I carry an tent rather than a bivy sack. I’ve made a few changes to last year’s gear, such as less spares and the replacement of my over boots with Goretex socks. The latter have worked a lot better during my testing (and are lighter!).

All up my fully kitted bike with no water or food weighs in at 46 pounds (21 kg). My hydration pack with its gear is a further 7 pounds (3 kg). I think it’s about 4 – 5 kg heavier than the most minimalist setup I could probably come up with. Not bad if you think that it needs to take me 4,418 km in (relative) comfort. Of course I’ll regret every extra gram when I’m lugging the bike through snow on some of the passes (a week before the race it was reported that there was still 1 m of snow on some of the passes in the Flathead valley in Canada and the road was closed due to snow at Union Pass in Montana).

I am using the same bags except my map case is the excellent quad map case from Carousel Design Works. Absolutely brilliant. I’ve also replaced my Revelate dry bag with one from Outdoor Research as the latter was slightly larger and easier to pack.

Some photos of the bike. At the top of the aero bars are the Ay-Up lights. Good for 12+ hours of riding. Behind it is the Garmin 800 (16 h between recharges), and then the map case with a cue sheet. I’ve used waterproof paper this year (live and learn!). Attached to the right brake lever is an old Specialized Turbo Elite cycle computer. This will be the main measuring device for the cue sheets; the GPS will be used to verify I’m on track.

Front end shot showing the brilliant Revelate system for the roll bag as well as the extra front storage bag. I’ve added an extra strap around the handlebars at each end of the roll bag. I’ve found that this helps with the stability quite a lot.

Side view showing the frame, seat and two top-tube packs. I’ve an extra strap under the seat bag, again I found it helps with stability. The small top tube pack contains all tools and the cable lock. Will hopefully seldom be used. My food will go in the large top tube bag which is behind the handlebars, hydration pack as well as the seat and roll on. I’m not riding a 29’er so the frame bag is quite small, but it holds all my rain gear and arm warmers.